Reiki is a technique of transferring natural healing energy to someone in need. This fascinating method originated in Japan, developed by Mikao Usui in 1922. Reiki is usually translated as spiritual energy or life force and is given through the “laying on of hands” or by passing the hands over certain points on the body. A Reiki practitioner can feel places of imbalance in the body, which may not correspond to the place you are feeling pain or where you think you need the healing most. Like traditional pain, spiritual or emotional pain can collect in one area and be referred elsewhere. Typically, however, treatments follow the chakras or meridians, which have been recognized as important points in health and healing. Meridian-based therapy has been used for thousands of use through treatments like acupuncture. Commonly, in the west, twelve positions of the hands are used and a session lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. Reiki is very gentle, cleansing your body and helping you to relax. Recipients may fall asleep during a session due to deep relaxation.
Reiki is often divided into three levels of expertise, and the world of Reiki has several different lineages. If you wish to learn it, choosing the right one for you can take a little time. Many practitioners believe that an attunement to Reiki energy can only be accomplished in person, though there are distance attunements available. Distance attunements, however, while often being more convenient and less expensive, are not always recognized by other Reiki practitioners, so you should also take into consideration what you would like to do with Reiki once you decide to learn it. If you intend to use it on yourself, loved ones, and household, a distance attunement should be fine, but if you wish to go into business as a Reiki healer, taking classes recognized by one of the Reiki associations is often better in the long run.
Reiki energy is inexhaustible: it does not come from the practitioner, but rather flows through them into the body of the recipient. This universal life force of healing is not generated by the practitioner; instead, they open the channels for it to pass through by using the symbols of Reiki and their intent to heal to allow the energy to move into their own body, and through the bodies of friends, family, and clients, and even pets or plants. Anything alive can benefit from a dose of Reiki. Reiki brings healing on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. Reiki power is invited to flow through the practitioner through opening the crown, heart, or hand chakras and asking it to flow through their own body to be passed on. Many practitioners also follow this with a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for the health of the recipient.
Despite the use of prayer by the practitioner, Reiki is non-denominational and may be used by anyone. This universal energy is open to anyone. While it is a spiritual experience, it is not a religion, lacks dogma, and does not require belief in it to work; however, openness to it certainly helps the process. Some people think of the universal energy used in Reiki as coming directly from God, and Reiki actually allows them to connect more deeply to their faith.
Dr. Usai recommended that all practitioners live by a set of ideals: do not be angry, be filled with gratitude, be devoted, be kind to others, pray every morning and evening, pray with your heart and with your mouth. Reiki is best practiced by loving individuals whose primary goal is helping others.